Revs sign Portuguese defender Jose Goncalves

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution has signed Portuguese central defender Jose Goncalves (pronounced JOE-see gon-CAHL-ves) on loan with a purchase option from Switzerland’s FC Sion. Goncalves will officially be added to the Revolution’s roster upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and his U.S. P-1 Visa, and he will occupy an international roster spot.

Goncalves, 27, most recently played for Swiss Super League club FC Sion and has a total of nine years of professional experience in Europe.

He is the fourth off-season signing – and third international signing – the Revs have announced ahead of 2013, joining Homegrown midfielder Scott Caldwell, French midfielder Kalifa Cisse and Welsh midfielder Andy Dorman.

“We’re pleased to add Jose to our squad,” Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said. “We’ve been open about our desire to add another defender this off-season. With experience throughout Europe’s top leagues, we believe Jose will come in and be a positive addition to our club’s defense.”

"What a great start to the New Year,” Goncalves said. “I’m happy to play for the Revolution and start a new career chapter in Major League Soccer. The entire organization, along with my new teammates, was very welcoming when I came in November to see the facilities and meet with everyone. It was great to see how the club was run and only further supported my decision to come to New England. I’m ready to join my teammates and to start the hard work to make it a successful 2013 season. I also look forward connecting and to become a productive member of the New England community."

Goncalves began his professional career as a teenager in 2002 with Switzerland’s FC Basel. After two seasons of development with FC Basel, Goncalves moved to FC Winterhur of Switzerland’s Challenge League (second division) for the first half of the 2004-05 season, before moving to Italy’s Serie B side Venezia for the second half of the season. Following his half-season in Italy, Goncalves moved back to Switzerland to FC Thun, where he made 26 appearances, including 10 appearances in UEFA Champions League action with six coming in group play against Arsenal, Ajax and Sparta Prague.

In January of 2006, he signed with Lithuania’s FBK Kaunas, but was immediately loaned to Scotland’s Heart of Midlothian. He went on to appear in 57 matches for Hearts between 2006 and 2010, while also going on a season-long loan to German 2 Bundesliga club FC Nuremberg for the 2008-09 campaign.

Following a knee injury that kept him out of action in the fall of 2010, Goncalves signed with Swiss Super League club FC St. Gallen in January 2011, where he played out the season while making 17 appearances. At the end of the year, following FC St. Gallen’s relegation, Goncalves moved to FC Sion, where he has played since. While with FC Sion, Goncalves also saw UEFA Europa League action against Scotland’s Celtic in the qualification round.

On the international stage, Goncalves represented Portugal seven times at the Under-21 level, including a call-up to the Portuguese entry at the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship.

For up-to-the-minute information on the Revolution, visit the team’s official web site at revolutionsoccer.net, or follow the team on Twitter at @NERevolution, or on Facebook at facebook.com/NERevolution. For more information about the popular multi-game packs – or any other 2013 ticketing option, including season tickets – visit revolutionsoccer.net/tickets.